For my final International Affairs event of this semester, I participated in a service event. For this event, I helped set up the Smith-Steeb Sibs and Kids Carnival. The Carnival was held outside of Smith-Steeb Hall on April 6th, 2019 and was hosted by BASS, the Board of Activities in Smith Steeb Hall. As a resident of Smith Steeb, I was really excited for this event and was so glad that I could help out for IA. I met several other IA members about an hour before the carnival started and we helped BASS set up food, tables, and decorations. The weather was beautiful- the sun was shining, and it was really warm. We had music playing and everyone was so excited for the carnival. Although the work we did was not particularly hard, I could tell that the members of BASS were really glad to have the help. It felt good to be able to make their afternoon a little easier and a little less hectic. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with some first year IA scholars that I don’t know very well. I also got to spend time with fellow second years that I haven’t seen in a while.
I thought that the carnival itself was super fun! We had food, drinks, candy, snow cones, music, inflatables, and more! I really enjoyed having lunch outside with my friends during the carnival. It was such a great way to celebrate the good weather and the end of the semester. Had I not signed up to volunteer for this service event, I may not have been able to make time in my day to go to the carnival, so I am really glad that I did! I also felt that I was able to appreciate the event more knowing all of the hard work that had gone into it.
This event is important to the International Affairs Scholars Program because it aligns with both the G.O.A.L.S. of Honors & Scholars here at Ohio State and the IA mission. Both H&S and IA emphasize the importance of being active and engaged in community service projects, so I enjoyed being able to live up to those values by volunteering with the board of activities. Every time I participate in a service event, I am reminded of why I love scholars so much. I am so thankful to be part of a community that values service and community involvement so much. I know that I probably would not seek out these service opportunities if I weren’t in IA, but I am certainly glad that IA makes it so easy. It is definitely bittersweet that this is the last reflection that I will write for IA. Over the past 2 years, I have really enjoyed participating in various academic, social, and of course, service events. I am hopeful that I will continue to volunteer my time and energy to events like this throughout my junior year and beyond. All in all, this was a great event.